Scientists developing fusion engine which could make space travel super-fast

Sci-fi geeks are dancing in their mothers' basements this morning, celebrating a technological breakthrough which could revolutionise space travel.

Scientists at the University of Washington are developing a new 'fusion' engine which could cut the transit time between Earth and Mars from eight months to just 30 days.

You could say they're boldly going where no man has gone before. But that would be cheesy.

The idea is so full of potential that US space agency NASA is giving the researchers $600,000 through its Innovative Advanced Concepts Program.

That money will be used to build a working fusion engine over the next 18 months, and actual spacecraft could be using the technology by 2020, reported The Register.

The Fusion Drive Rocket system doesn't require conventional fuel. It uses magnetism to compress metal bands around a deuterium-tritium fuel pellet, with the resultant fusion ejecting the pellet and propelling the craft forward.

The system's comparatively low electricity requirements mean it could be run on solar power alone.

And get this: a pellet the size of a grain of sand would provide the same amount of thrust as a whole gallon of normal rocket fuel.

The fusion engine's unprecedented speed is really all that matters though. NASA's Curiosity rover took eight months to reach Mars using traditional engines. The fusion system could shorten that trip to just 30 days.

You can see why the scientific community would be excited. That coveted Martian colony looks more plausible every day, and with technological breakthroughs like this even Star Trek doesn't seem quite so far-fetched.

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